1 week ago
Kerala High Court Seeks Care Over Halal Jaggery at Sabarimala
The case was about jaggery used to make offerings at Sabarimala temple.
The jaggery packages had a halal certification mark.
S J R Kumar said this mark conflicted with the temple’s religious customs.
The temple board said the jaggery had been bought through a large e-tender.
The supplier used the mark because it also exported jaggery to Middle Eastern countries.
The court checked food safety reports about the jaggery.
Those reports found the jaggery was safe and suitable for making offerings.
However, the court said the temple board should be more careful about such markings in future.
It ordered the board to include suitable conditions in future purchase tenders.
The Kerala High Court directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to take greater care when procuring materials for Sabarimala offerings.
The case concerned halal-certified jaggery used to prepare aravana and unniyappam, offerings made to Lord Ayyappa.
Petitioner S J R Kumar argued that the halal marking conflicted with Hindu religious customs and made the offerings unsuitable as Satwik material.
The court found that Food Safety Laboratory tests showed the jaggery was satisfactory and contained no unsuitable substance or element.
The court ordered the Board to add tender conditions ensuring procured materials meet both quality standards and the temple’s religious requirements.
- Who
- The Kerala High Court, the Travancore Devaswom Board, petitioner S J R Kumar, and supplier Vardhan Agro Processing Limited.
- What
- The court directed greater care in procuring jaggery and other materials for Sabarimala offerings after a dispute over halal-certified jaggery.
- Where
- Sabarimala hill shrine in Kerala.
- When
- The judgment was issued on Tuesday; S J R Kumar filed the petition in November 2021.
- Why
- The court said procurement must comply with prescribed quality standards and the religious customs and requirements applicable to the temple.
Petitioner's Religious-Custom Concern
Court's Quality and Procurement Finding
Meaning of the halal certification
Petitioner's Religious-Custom Concern
S J R Kumar argued that halal certification signified preparation according to another community’s religious practices and that using the marked jaggery could amount to sacrilege.
Court's Quality and Procurement Finding
The court noted that the supplier’s packaging carried the certification for exports to certain Middle Eastern countries, rather than finding that the jaggery contained an unsuitable substance.
Suitability for temple offerings
Petitioner's Religious-Custom Concern
The petitioner said offerings made with the jaggery would not qualify as Satwik, or pure, material under the temple’s customs.
Court's Quality and Procurement Finding
Based on Food Safety Laboratory analysis, the court found the jaggery’s quality satisfactory and suitable for preparing prasadam.
Responsibility of the temple board
Petitioner's Religious-Custom Concern
The petition challenged the Board’s procurement of the halal-certified jaggery for Sabarimala offerings.
Court's Quality and Procurement Finding
The court said the Board should have exercised greater care and ordered it to add appropriate tender conditions covering both quality and religious requirements in future.
Key facts
- Court
- Kerala High Court
- Temple body
- Travancore Devaswom Board
- Products involved
- Aravana and unniyappam
- Supplier
- Maharashtra-based Vardhan Agro Processing Limited
- Quantity ordered
- 19,96,034 kilograms of jaggery powder
- Food safety finding
- Testing found the jaggery satisfactory, with no substance or element making it unsuitable for prasadam
- Future direction
- Tender documents must include conditions addressing quality standards and religious customs
Quotes
Kerala High Court bench
The High Court bench hearing the petition concerning Sabarimala offerings
“We are of the view that the Writ Petition can be disposed of by directing the Travancore Devaswom Board to exercise due care and caution in future and to incorporate appropriate and necessary conditions in the e-tender documents so as to ensure that the materials procured for the preparation of nivedyam and prasadam are in conformity with the prescribed quality standards as well as the religious customs and requirements applicable to the Temple.”
indianexpress.com
“Ideally, the Travancore Devaswom Board ought to have exercised greater care to ensure that the quantity of jaggery supplied by the manufacturer did not bear symbols, markings or declarations that could give rise to an apprehension of conflict with the religious customs and practices followed at the Temple.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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